Perusing a smoke shop in a non-legalized state will lead to some funny conversation. No matter the vibe—whether it be professional or an aesthetic that hasn’t changed from the ’70s—shop managers will show off glassware and vaporizers repeating one phrase. “This is for tobacco use only.” But the truth is that tech companies are embracing marijuana over tobacco.
It’s a wind-and-nod routine of sorts, but according to a recent TechCrunch report, that trend could soon be changing. The article focuses on how funding for cannabis startups have been on the rise in the past year, while e-cigarette startups are fledgling.
Not a single company that mentioned tobacco, cigarettes or e-cigarettes in its Crunchbase profile raised a disclosed funding round in the past year. By contrast, at least 45 self-described marijuana and cannabis companies did.
The story also goes on to detail that funding and money hasn’t exactly been bursting in the e-cigarette sector, but that there’s still been substantial funding and exits over the years. That’s now changing, partly due to the FDA finalizing tighter regulations on e-cigarettes. Previously that market hoped for lighter rules, as e-cigarettes were pitched as an alternative to smoking.
Part of the funding dearth may be due to lack of VC interest. It’s hard to find a cigarette smoker in Silicon Valley, where caffeine and alcohol are the preferred indulgences and addictions (with cannabis not far behind). Thus, it’s not entirely surprising that the venture industry hasn’t been a big backer of e-cigarettes.
A study published last week found an uptick in cannabis consumption among Oregon college students after marijuana was legalized in the state two years ago. The finding was hardly a surprise. But what was unexpected is that the increase was due to underage students who were also binge drinkers.
According to the research, published in the journal Addiction, students who reported binge drinking were 73 percent more likely to also report cannabis consumption, compared to binge-drinking students in non-legal states.
The 25-page report was written by researchers from Oregon State University and the University of Michigan. According to the paper:
There were 10,924 undergraduate participants. One large public Oregon university participated in 2014 and 2016; six universities in U.S. states where recreational marijuana use was illegal participated both in 2016 and at least once between 2012 and 2015.
The researchers did not reveal the name of the Oregon university.
“We found that, overall, rates of marijuana use have increased across most schools and across the country likely, but that the rates in Oregon increased more,” Oregon State University professor and lead author David Kerr told the Eugene Register-Guard.
Kerr was quick to point out that the study does not definitively find that legalization is the only cause of the increase.
“It does appear that legalization is having an effect on usage, but there is some nuance to the findings that warrant further investigation,” Kerr said.
“We found that overall, at schools in different parts of the country, there’s been an increase in marijuana use among college students, so we can’t attribute that increase to legalization alone.”
The research discovered increases at six out of seven universities in the study. The unnamed Oregon university scored the highest in increased consumption.
The study is the first to take a look at marijuana usage patterns after Oregon legalized it in 2014. The law went into effect in 2015.
“It’s an important current issue and even the most basic effects have not been studied yet, especially in Oregon,” Kerr said. “There are a lot of open questions about how legalization might affect new users, existing users and use of other substances.”
We reported back in March that Netflix was quietly producing interactive television programming. The product seemed targeted at young children, though with hints it could expand into mature content.
Today Netflix announced the rumors as reality. This Tuesday Netflix will roll out content with interactive features they’ve been developing for the past two years. Viewers will be able to choose the outcome of their shows as they watch them, which will also allow for repeat viewings.
“Content creators have a desire to tell non-linear stories like these, and Netflix provides the freedom to roam, try new things and do their best work,” Netflix said in a press release “Being an internet-based company enables us to innovate new formats, deliver at scale to millions of members all over the world on multiple device types and, most importantly, learn from it.”
As mentioned the programming so far is aimed at children and family content. The first interactive shows will be Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, and Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile, out July 14. Viewers will be able to choose between two options at key junctures of the story, either through touching the screen or pressing the corresponding arrows on a remote. This will allow people to feel like they’re influencing the story as it goes along.
With more than 100 million viewers online and having nearly 54% of households engage with family and children content, it seems sure this interactive programming will find an audience.
“The children’s programming space was a natural place for us to start since kids are eager to ‘play’ with their favorite characters and already inclined to tap, touch and swipe at screens,” the release stated. “They also talk to their screens, as though the characters can hear them. Now, that conversation can be two-way. It’s really about finding the right stories — and storytellers — that can tell these complex narratives and bring them to life in a compelling way.”
How this will impact narrative storytelling in the future is curious. A program like Arrested Development Season 4 had no formal episode order. You could watch them out of order, though some would argue this had an adverse effect rather than a positive one. Viewers could be potentially interested in a choose-your-own-adventures Orange is the New Black season, but that will remain to be seen.
Considering some of the innovative approaches Netflix has had to programming, there is potential. But it would be important for a narrative to organically include an interactive storytelling element. The simplicity might work for kids, but it’s easy to see older audiences hungry for interactive content to turn to gaming instead.
Netflix’s interactive programming is currently available on smart TV platforms, streaming, and iOS devices.
A source told the Enquirer that “Gwen wants to create comfortable and casual men’s clothes that are cut really well – no dad jeans.” I’m not sure where Blake comes into play with this project, as the source added, “He’s letting her take the lead and will just weigh in on what guys will and won’t wear.” Sure he will.
Ghost sharks exist. No, they are not the spirit of dead sharks, but an actual type of cartilaginous fish formally known as chimaeras. These fish kind of look like sharks (they are their closest living relatives) but way scarier, with vacant eyes and grey bodies that look like they were shoddily stitched together, like a deep sea dwelling version of Frankenstein’s monster.
Chimaeras are so rare that 40 percent of their population were discovered in the past 15 years. In 2016, the first ever video of a ghost shark appeared and people were understandably freaked out.
Their sex habits are also extremely bizarre. Females have two uteri, something that they have in common with sharks, and the males have their reproductive organs located in their heads. This friendly penis has hooks that allows them to grasp the female and make it harder for her to escape when they’re mating.
The most interesting biological fact is that for these animals copulation and breeding can happen at different times. Females have a special sperm storage in their heads that allows them to keep the sperm there and use it a later time when it’s more convenient to lay their eggs. This is an important quality for animals that live in the deep sea, where food and mates can be hard to find.
There’s not a lot of information available on this species, but I’m convinced that they’re the coolest animals ever.
Peter Calfee grasps the importance of his product. Like others within the cannabis space, the stakes of success aren’t just financial, they’re personal. His company GoFire is building the first vaporizer with metered control consumption, with aims of laying the groundwork for the “Future of Alternative Medicine.” The SMART Cartridge allows the marijuana vape to deliver the most precise dosing thanks to a proprietary extrusion technology.
Photos courtesy of GoFire
However, that’s not how GoFire started. Calfee and his partner John Woodbine received their first check of seed funding for GoFire on April 29th, 2015. Five days later Calfee was the passenger in a head-on collision, which left him bed-bound for months and with a broken back. Not exactly the best thing to happen to a company’s CEO in seed funding.
“My team would gather around my bed for daily meetings,” Calfee said. “John and I wrote our first patent physically in bed together, [which] continues to be a running joke within the company. Life and the company went on.”
The accident left Calfee in physical pain. Like many in his situation, he was prescribed opiates that him in a “fog.” He turned to alternative medicine—which he still uses to this day—to manage the pain. Building a technology that provided a “safe, reliable method to consume and manage an array of alternative medicine” was a business methodology and personal matter.
An introduction to using alternative medicine to manage pain can lead to inexact result for newcomers and casual users alike. It can be frustrating, and have patients consuming too little or too much to produce the desired outcome. Furthermore, the formulas for managing different types of pain—like Calfee’s back pain—or quelling anxiety vary among people.
Photos courtesy of GoFire
GoFire’s personal dosing app will allow patients to identify how multiple concentrates and extracts affect them. Their system aims to enable patients and caregivers alike to study the unique formulas of consumption—the potency of the bud, loose leaf or concentrate, how much was inhaled—then compare that against the desired outcome. That information will be relayed to partners and enhance product knowledge in the future.
“GoFire will enable plant-based research to identify the therapeutic effectiveness of alternative medicine,” Calfee said. “Which product formulas are best for pain management? Or, sleep? Our model will help patients, caregivers, clinicians and researchers find out.
“The GoFire Platform will target products and doses best suited to specific ailments, such as Cancer, Arthritis, Anxiety, Epilepsy, Parkinson’s, etc,” he added. “We will provide patients and caregivers with the ability to accurately recommend alternative treatments by tracking a patient’s use and effect. The end result is a personalized care plan, built for a specific condition, and optimized for the individual with the GoFire system.”
GoFire is currently accepting applications to join their BETA community, and experience the “first intelligent vaporization device with personal dosing.” Interested parties can submit applications until the first week of September and the private testing will begin this fall. Participants will shape how GoFire products look, function, and feel, including the navigation and user experience moving forward.
“The GoFire ecosystem will move research on the therapeutic efficacy of plant-based-therapy forward,” Calfee said. “Unique feedback from clinical patients will drive product development insights, and optimize decision-making for the health and wellness industry.
“Evidence-based research and quantitative feedback will lock “feelings” in “formulas”, so the GoFire ecosystem can find products tailored to specific patient needs and disease states. The end result builds an analytical foundation for Alternative Health; all centered around GoFire.”
Summer solstice is the official start of summer: June 21 marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, with the sun shining the longest and highest than it will again until Earth rolls back around in 364 days.
Historically, ancient cultures celebrated the solstice as a hard-partying day, with fertility ceremonies, parades, feasts and merriment. These days, the marking of the first day of summer is more of a watercolor factoid than a cause for wild debauchery. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take advantage of the extra sunlight with a few merry-making marijuana strains.
A citrusy sativa that’s perfect for getting active and making the most of all this glorious sun. Some compare it to a green tea vibe, in both flavor and subtly: Take it slow and you’re good to socialize, but too big of a hit and you’re chilling on a lounge chair for the rest of the afternoon.
Sunshine Daydream
An indica that’s used for pain and inflammation, it boasts a blueberry muffin taste and relaxation that won’t make you crash.
Like getting a little too sun-kissed, this sativa-dominant bud sounds unpleasant, but settles into a nice warm glow. It’s a cross between Island Sweet Skunk and Rug Burn OG, and is said to help with depression and anxiety.
Sunset Sherbet
This hybrid is in the family of Girl Scout Cookies, crossed with the Pink Panties indica. You’ll get a flirtatious yet relaxing full-body high from this one, just in time to watch the sun sink into night. It’s a strong high without making you too lazy.
Sunshine
Another sativa with uplifting, blissful effects. It’s said to increase appetite, so position yourself as near the barbecue grills as possible. Some report that it shines a mood-enhancing light onto depression.
In the New York Times, Kim Kardashian explained her rationale for the image and her plan going forward:
I used an amazing photographer and a team of people. I was really tan when we shot the images, and it might be that the contrast was off. But I showed the image to many people, to many in the business. No one brought that to our attention. No one mentioned it.
Of course, I have the utmost respect for why people might feel the way they did. But we made the necessary changes to that photo and the rest of the photos. We saw the problem, and we adapted and changed right away.
Just days after welcoming newborn twins with Beyoncé, the rapper announced he will be dropping a new album under the name JAY-Z. (Please note the hyphen and caps.) Titled 4:44, Hova’s new record will be released June 30 as a Tidal exclusive.
Though his name was formatted as “JAY:Z” in a teaser for the album, a rep for Roc Nation since confirmed the return of the hyphen as well as the new capitalization of Jay Z JAY-Z’s name.
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His greatest rival yet! The most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, will be racing a great white shark for Discovery Channel’s Shark Week.
The Discovery Channel announced in a press release on Thursday, June 15, that the 31-year-old swimmer, who holds 39 world records, will race the predator in a race titled “Phelps vs. Shark: Great Gold vs Great White.” According to Discovery, the event “is so monumental that no one has attempted it before.”
Last week sexual misconduct allegations surfaced regarding the ABC spinoff franchise “Bachelor in Paradise.” The show was filming its fourth season in Mexico this month, but has since suspended production indefinitely. Later, reports surfaced that Warner Bros. had launched an internal investigation into “allegations of misconduct” on set.
A producer witnessed cast members Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson getting “extremely sexual in a swimming pool.” Questions arose whether Olympios was too drunk to give consent to the sexual encounter. The producer who reported the incident wasn’t present during filming and had seen everything only secondhand. Both parties have released strongly-worded statements regarding the incident. Jackson asserted these were “false claims” and character assassination while Olympios told People: “I am a victim.”
The story is ongoing and both Rolling Stone and Vulture have informative timelines about the events.
However, the incident does allow for an opportunity to learn of how sexual encounters are constructed on reality TV. James Callenberger is a producer who has worked on shows for MTV, VH1, National Geographic, and Fox. Callenberger, though, is a pseudonym who recently shared on Vulture how sex can be orchestrated on shows like Bachelor in Paradise. It all is eerily familiar to the manipulations depicted on Lifetime’s unREAL, a behind-the-scene fictional drama at a Bachelor-like show.
As Callenberger wrote, “Producing reality TV isn’t for the faint of heart.” Here’s what else he had to say.
On establishing boundaries and following those rules:
Television executives are overwhelmingly risk-averse, and the whiff of litigation can ruin a career, so we make sure that when we go into the field, we know the rules: no drunk driving, no drugs in front of kids, no nonconsensual sex. If we see that someone is moving toward nonconsensual sex, we step in, or better yet, encourage another cast member to step in, and capture the fallout on camera.
On producers “setting up” romances before the show:
[O]n a show like Bachelor in Paradise, the drunken hook-up is the coin of the realm. Even on shows less romantic than the Bachelor franchise, producers plan dalliances in preproduction. For example, years ago I was producing a show whose lead was a young man new to the entertainment business, and one of our season-long arcs involved a romantic relationship with a pseudo-celebrity. Producers reached out to a handful of potential cast members and asked if they would be interested in hooking up with our guy on the show. The one who was up for it got the part—she knew what she was getting into and used it to extend her fame into a 16th minute.
In order to deliver the most interesting romantic relationships, story producers in preproduction play matchmaker. In initial interviews, producers ask cast members whom they’re attracted to, then base their soft-scripted story lines on mutual attractions. Once on set, they gently encourage paired cast members to drop their inhibitions and follow their instincts.
On why producers didn’t stop the alleged assault:
You’re much more likely to be dragged across the coals by an executive asking why you called cut than by one asking why you didn’t step in. Mistakes can be edited out, but drama can’t be recreated. That’s likely why, per reports, the producer who complained about Olympios and Jackson’s encounter didn’t step in and stop it while it was happening. During filming, producers are hyperfocused on two questions: Is this good TV, and how can I make it better? Only after the fact do they consider what happened from a moral and legal perspective.
On Bachelor in Paradise’s other mistake:
In my opinion, the Bachelor in Paradise producers didn’t just screw up when they allowed the alleged nonconsensual hook up to happen, they also broke the cardinal rule of reality-TV production afterward: When disaster strikes, you shoot the disaster. If Olympios has a sexual-assault claim against Jackson, or even the producers, it would be much more edifying and entertaining to see that legal case play out live, both in and out of Paradise, than to read about it online. Reality television, whatever its flaws, is capable of contributing to the national debate about consent and sexual assault, and Bachelor in Paradise, by suspending production, has missed out on an opportunity to participate in that discourse.
